Color Forecasts

This is a really gloomy, misty time of year here on the coast so I finally am in the mood to share some colorful thoughts. Yes, I know it’s been 4 months, but I have been busy getting used (and relishing) the concept of doing nothing. Truly, it seems that there is always something going on as those of you on FB can tell, but I’ve purposely been concentrating on just settling in. There is a raging war between me and the tiny ants that invade the house and the aphids who attack the hibiscus. I also battle with salt air and humidity but fear that is a not a winnable campaign.

One of the joys of retirement is that I at least have time to read. My kindle stays loaded and I have joined a book club. Next week is my first meeting with the group and I am anxious to hear if the others loved A Sumari’s Garden as much as I did. While I love books, I also spend hours happily lost in the rabbit holes of blogs, articles and rants on the web. Political ravings aside, I love exploring people, places and things with no time pressure at all. I watch YouTubes on all sorts of useful topics like how to prune hibiscus, train the puppy, make homemade natural insecticides, etc. But the best ones are anything to do with color.

And that brings me to the thought for the day on White. My colorful friend, Debbie Houston at Shaw just announced their color of the year for 2017 is a lovely shade of green called Lush. (https://www.floordaily.net/flooring-news/shaw-floors-announces-its-2017-color-of-the-year-lush) I couldn’t agree more that it is a timely shade of cautious optimism with character and utility. Seems like everyone names a color of year lately and it’s great fun to talk who makes the wisest choice and who manages to push a self-fulfilling prophecy to fruition. My favorite for last year was the bold choice of alabaster by Sherwin Williams. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXxhKDw-n-I) I embraced it wholeheartedly in the move to Ecuador buying creamy white Eames chairs for the new living room, crisp off white pads for lounge chairs by the pool, white hibiscus and white bed linens. White absolutely makes me happy and lifts the mood of any space. So longs as it’s not too cool, I find it peaceful and almost spiritual.

Alas, there is a dark side to white which, of course, we all know and just try to push from our minds: yes, it gets dirty. I’ve learned that Mr. Clean Magic erasers are great at removing grimy stains from white leather, but with this damp weather I drape them with towels in a lovely shade of cream, naturally. Have I mentioned that I also chose a white dog? Not only are Bichons high on the grooming scale but Coco’s white coat stains like crazy. Never pick up a white dog when you have numeric on your hands! She looked like a punk rocker for days. Oh, and yes, Coco loves to dig in the yard and then track all of that black dirt and lush green plant matter back into the house. Sigh.

So does any of that cause my love of Alabaster to fade? Not really. I plan to roll through the rest of the year in a creamy white mood of good cheer, but who knows about 2017. I might be ready for color on the walls. The red in the sofas, my KitchenAid mixer and those great plastic rugs I bought in Guayaquil do make me smile. Then there’s that blue of the hammock and the pool. The one thing I know is that gray and silver will only have supporting roles. I’m as tired of it as I am of this election season. Let’s see what awaits us in the colorful new year.